Bernie the Bulldog

Heal Dogs Allergies Hawaii

Formulated Foods for Dogs with Allergies in Hawaii

Bernie the Bulldog

June 23, 2015

 A friend recently introduced me to Bernie. Bernie is a English Bulldog. He was advertised on Craigslist as "free to good home". When I read or hear that here, my mind immediately says bait dog. My wife is on the mainland helping our daughters family. It's not that I have spare time on my hands, but his mange, that the vet said was hereditary (no, it's not by the way), it seemed like the right thing to do.

I went to pick up Bernie and stopped by the Oahu SPCA to borrow a kennel. They are always helpful and offered on right up. It's an interesting door design because it can be opened from either side of the door with a unique handle to each side. Once I arrived, Bernie was on the deck and seemed very docile. His mange wasn't as bad as I expected, but he clearly had it over most of his upper body and face. The woman seemed very nice and said she had papers for him. They have had him since he was 12 weeks old. He's two now. I talked about our food and she said they couldn't afford it so I asked the hard question. "If I can improve his condition and get rid of the mange, would you want him back?" I got a no. Now, at this point I'm thinking behavioral problem or some other personality issue.

She offered me his antibiotics and steroid and I told her I wouldn't be using them. I didn't get any emotional reaction as I left. None. I'm also done judging people that rehome pets. There is no way I can know what they are going through, what is happening in their life, or why a dog is being rehomed. I've taken the stance that if it pisses me off that much, either do something about it and go get the dog or keep my opinions to myself. I just doesn't do me any good to be pissed off at something I can't change in someone else.

I took off his choker chain and put on a safety collar. We got in the van, he went straight into his pet carrier, and we drove off. He seemed pretty comfortable in the back of the van for the ride home.

Please come back to see more of Bernie the Bulldog tales and I'll tell you about the dog park experience, Bernie and water, and why a bulldog shouldn't be a lap dog, especially on H1.




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